Friday, September 27, 2013

End of The Season

COME TO OUR END OF THE SEASON SALE!
  • Beginning Saturday, September 28th at 9:00 all trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals will be 50% OFF!
  • We are also offering Fox Farm Light Warrior Seed Starting Mix at $5.00 a bag (regular price $16.75)!
  • All of Jan's Garden Art & Windchimes are 10% off!
Come early for the best selection.
We will be closing for the season on Saturday, October 5th.

THINGS TO DO:
Apply dormant sprays. This will be a job for the winter months but I wanted to remind you so you could pick these items up before we close for the season. If you have had problems with scale, spider mite, whitefly or mealy bug on your fruit or shade trees and ornamental shrubs you may want to treat these landscape plants with All Seasons Horticultural & Dormant Spray Oil. This product can be used during the growing season but is also effective when used in winter to smother the eggs of these pests. Spray Oil can also safely be applied to many houseplants. Lime Sulfur Spray can be used in fall as the leaves drop and again in early spring to help control powdery mildew and several kinds of scale. It can be mixed with Spray Oil at a rate of 4 oz. Sulfur and 1 1/4 oz. Spray Oil per gallon of water and sprayed when winter buds swell before opening to kill insect eggs and fungus spores. Liqui-Cop is a copper fungicide that is effective against shot hole fungus, fireblight, black spot, bacterial leaf spot, peach leaf curl and many other fungal diseases on fruits and berries. Be sure to follow label directions carefully as application timing and quantities vary by the plant being treated and the insect or disease being controlled. Rake up and destroy any leaves of  affected plants and spray the ground surrounding them.


PLANT OF THE MONTH:
Ligustrum x vicaryi. The Golden Vicary Privet is a low maintenance shrub that will grow quickly to 4-6' tall and wide. It tolerates full sun or part shade. New leaves are glossy yellow maturing to dark green. Commonly used as a hedge or screen this privet could also be planted in the back of a perennial bed where the golden color would contrast nicely with red and blue flowers. It is cold hardy to minus 20 degrees and a low water user once established.

Ligustrum x vicaryi

We really appreciate your continued support and will see you in the spring. Enjoy the winter!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Reminders

Our final truck of the year delivered some beautiful Pansies, Violas, Mums, Dianthus, Snaps and Fall Veggies just in time for this lovely autumnal weather. We also received a few Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicafolia), Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus) both trailing and upright.

Don't forget that we will open either March 25th or April 1st next year so if you need any gardening supplies before that you might want to pick them up now. We have Uni-Gro Potting Soil, Back to Earth Compost, Wall-o-Water, Fox Farm Fertilizer, Floating Row Cover, Rooting Hormone, Etc.

See you soon!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

September 2013

 First, I apologize for being tardy on my posting. No computer, then a new computer and friends in from out of town have put me behind schedule. So here goes.

THINGS TO DO:
Control mosquitos. With all of this glorious rain come mosquitos. There are several ways you can diminish the impact they have on your outdoor life. Wear light colored clothing and try to stay indoors at dawn and dusk when the little devils seem to be most active. If you use an insect repellant try a product containing geraniol instead of toxic DEET. You can buy this as a wristband, diffuser or spray. Of course you will want to find any places that collect water and make sure they are emptied, turned over or provided with drainage. We carry Summit Mosquito Dunks that are a non-toxic biological control for specific insect larvae including mosquitos and black flies. The dunks will not harm birds, pets or fish so they can safely be used in birdbaths and ponds. It will kill the larvae before it becomes a blood sucker. The Mosquito Dunk also comes as Mosquito Bits. Same active ingredient but easier to sprinkle around and it also works on fungus gnats. Those nasty little fly-like creatures that find refuge in moist potting soil and fly up your nose when your sitting there watching TV, on the computer or reading a book. So try any or all of these precautions and enjoy this gorgeous weather!

Plant pansies and violas. I don't know about you but some of my pots are looking very tired. Next week we will have in our final load of pansies, violas, snapdragons, mums, dianthus and a large selection of fall veggies. Pansies and violas love cool weather and will grow all winter long in our area. Snapdragons and dianthus are basically perennial here and will bloom very early in the spring if planted now. Cool season vegetables that will still produce well are spinach, lettuces, beets, carrots, radishes, broccoli, cabbage and more. Look for our sign out on 180 and we'll let you know when they are here.

Apply a winterizer fertilizer. Here is a copy of last years post: You will want to use Gro-Power 3-12-12. This fertilizer is low in nitrogen but high in phosphorus and potash. Nitrogen promotes green growth which can be damaged by freezing temperatures. Phosphorus increases winter hardiness and stimulates healthy root growth. Since this is the time of year that plants naturally do the majority of their root growth, using this fertilizer will get them off to a good start next spring. Potash or potassium produces strong, hardy stems and trunks, promotes disease resistance and also increases winter hardiness. The Gro-Power 3-12 12 contains 7% humic acid which encourages beneficial microorganisms in your soil. It also includes sulphur to help bring the alkalinity of our soil down and several micronutrients that act as catalysts for the primary chemicals. Use this fertilizer at a rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet of lawn or bed area and 2 tablespoons per foot of height or width for trees and shrubs. One cup will fertilize an 8 foot tree. Lightly work the fertilizer into the soil around the root area and water thoroughly.

PLANT OF THE MONTH:
Cerastium tomentosum. Snow-in-Summer is a tough groundcover that grows rapidly to 6-8" tall by 1-2' in one season. The short silvery-gray leaves form a dense mat and the small white flowers bloom profusely in early summer. It is native to Italy but adapts well to our climate and is at home in a rock garden, spilling over a wall, as a bank cover or in the front of a perennial bed. I especially like it combined with Verbena 'Homestead Purple'. This perennial is drought tolerant, hardy to 30 degrees below zero (zone 4)  and can grow in full sun or half a day of shade.

Snow-in-Summer

'Homestead Purple' Verbena with Snow-in-Summer